Means for heating liquid fuel.



No. 789,739. IATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

I. W. JACKSON MEANS FOR HEATING LIQUID FUEL.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 9, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented May 16, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MEANS FOR HEATING LIQUID FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 89,7 39, dated May16, 1905.

Application filed May 9, 1904- Serial No. 207.072.

To all whom; it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. JACKSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Needles, in the county of San Bernardino and Stateof California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means forHeating Liquid Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for burning liquid fuel, and it isespecially applicable to oil-burning locomotives. Inasmuch as the oil isusually thick and heavy, the oil-tank is provided with a steam-heatedcoil of pipe for the purpose of rendering the oil more liquid,

so that it Will flow readily to the burners. Provision is also made forturning the steam directly into the oil when desired in order to effecta quicker heating.

My improvements aim to prevent the oil from getting into theheating-coil, avoid Waste of oil, keep the oil more free from the waterof condensation when direct heating is employed, simplify the piping andvalves so that the most inexperienced fireman cannot make a mistake, useless steam, prevent injuring the track by the exhaust from the coil, andguard against the bursting of the heater-hose by careless handling ofthe valves.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspectiveView of my improved system of heating-pipes, and Fig. 2 is a section ofthe check-valve.

In the drawings the water-tank is shown in dotted lines with the smalleroil-tank 1 inside of it; but this arrangement is not essential, and, infact, in many locomotives the oiltank is located outside the water-tank.The oil-tank is shown partly broken away to disclose the pipeconnections. In the lower part of the oil-tank is the heater-coil 2,which connects atone end with the steam-supply pipe 3, provided with acheck-valve 1 and connected by a flexible hose 5 with a pipe on theengine taking steam from the boiler and provided with a suitablestop-valve. The boiler Fig. 1 the mufiier is shown as consisting of aclosed vessel 7 into which the pipe 6 enters through its upper end, thedepending portion of the pipe inside the Vessel being perforated withfine holes. An exhaust-pipe 8 has its open upper end near the top of thevessel and passes down through the bottom of the vessel, terminating inan elbow 9, having an opening, preferably about a quarter of an inch indiameter. If desired, the muffler may have a pet cook 10 for drainingit.

For direct heating the steam is taken, preferably, from the pipe 6through an upright loop or arch 11, rising several inches above the topof the oil-tank. This branch pipe is provided with a stop-valve 12 andleads to a pipe 13, which enters the bottom of the oiltank. This pipehas a stop-valve 14:, which is normally open, being closed only in caseof accident to the system to keep the oil from escaping. The pipe 13 hasalso a stop-valve 15, which is normally closed and is used only to drainoff from the oil-tank any water that has collected therein bycondensation of the steam used for the direct heating.

The operation of my improved system is as follows: When steam is turnedon at the boiler, it flows through the check-valve 4 into the coil 2 andthence into the muffler and out through the pipe 8. In the formersystems there was no direct exhaust to the atmosphere, so that unlessgreat care was used the pressure in the coil 2 and pipe 3 wouldsometimes rise to such a point as to burst the heaterhose 5. Thisinvolved considerable delay in replacing the hose and considerableexpense also, because this grade of hose is costly. With my system suchan accident cannot occur. If it is desired to use the direct-heatingmethod of heating, the stop-valve 12 is opened, and by reason of theheight of the arch 11 only dry steam will pass to the pipe 13. There istherefore much less likelihood of water collectingin the oil-tank, sincenone will be carried over through the arch 11. Moreover, as the top ofthe arch is about six inches above the top of the oil-tank the oilcannot follow back from the pipe 13 into the coil, as happens when thisarch is not used and the directheating valve is left open.

It will be observed that the muffler is arranged below the level of theheating-coil, so that all condensation drains into said muffler, thuskeeping the coil dry and hot.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim is 1. The combinationwith an oil-tank for a locomotive, of a heating-coil therein, asteamsupply pipe for said coil connected by a flexible hose with thelocomotive-boiler, a checkvalve in the supply-pipe between said hose andsaid coil, a pipe rising from the exhaust end of said coil and enteringthe tank, and a mufiier connected with the exhaust end of said coil andarranged below the level thereof.

2. The combination with an oil-tank for a locomotive, of a steamheating-coil therein, an arched branch pipe rising from the exhaust endof said coil to a point above the oil in said tank, the discharge end ofsaid arched pipe opening into the lower part of said tank, and astop-valve in said arched pipe.

3. The combination with an oil-tank for a locomotive, of a steamheating-coil therefor, a drain-pipe opening into the bottom of saidtank, stop-valves in said drain-pipe, an arched pipe connected with theexhaust end of said coil and with said drain-pipe and rising above thelevel of the oil, and a stopvalve in said arched pipe.

4:. The combination with an oil-tank for a locomotive, of a steamheating-coil therein having a permanently-open exhaust, a drainpipe forsaid tank having two stop-valves, an arched pipe rising from the exhaustend of said coil and. connected with said drain-pipe between the twostop-valves, and a stop-valve in said arched pipe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED. VV. JACKSON.

Witnesses:

O. P. HART, R. S. CHENEY.

